Dashain & Tihar Sales: How to Set Up Your Online Store Before the Festival Rush

Dashain and Tihar are Nepal's biggest shopping season. Nepali consumers spend heavily on gifts, clothes, electronics, and home goods during these two festivals. If you run a shop — physical or online — missing this window means leaving real revenue on the table. The good news: getting your online store ready before the rush is straightforward if you follow a clear checklist. Here's exactly what to do.

1. Lock In Your Product Listings First

The most common mistake small sellers make is starting too late. Festival shoppers begin browsing weeks before Ghatasthapana. Aim to have your store fully listed at least three to four weeks beforehand.

For each product:

• Photos: Shoot in natural light against a plain background. A white wall and good daylight is enough — multiple angles help buyers feel confident.
• Descriptions: Be specific and honest — material, size, color options, and what the item is actually good for.
• Price in NPR: Show festival discounts clearly. "Regular: NPR 2,500 | Festival Price: NPR 1,999" beats a vague "sale" label.
• Shelf life: If you sell food items like homemade sel roti kits, achar, or sweets, note freshness and expiry dates prominently.

Organize products into logical categories — Women's Wear, Gift Hampers, Electronics Accessories — so customers can browse without frustration.

2. Enable Digital Payments — Don't Lose Sales at Checkout

eSewa and Khalti are now mainstream in Nepal. Many buyers, especially younger shoppers, prefer digital payments over keeping cash around. If your store only accepts COD, you are turning away a growing share of customers.

What to set up before the festival season:

• eSewa: Link your merchant eSewa account. You will need your business PAN and a verified merchant account. Approval takes a few business days — start early.
• Khalti: Register as a Khalti merchant. Merchant applications during peak season can take longer, so do not wait until October.
• Bank transfer / QR: Add your bank QR code as a payment option. Many buyers from older demographics prefer this over mobile wallets.
• COD (Cash on Delivery): Still essential for reaching customers outside the Kathmandu Valley. Keep it enabled, but add a small COD fee if your margins require it.

Test every payment method yourself with a small transaction before going live. A broken checkout during Dashain is a preventable disaster.

3. Sort Out Your PAN and VAT Documentation

If you are selling commercially online, you should have your PAN registered with the Inland Revenue Department. For most small sellers, PAN registration is free and quick at your local IRD office. If your annual turnover crosses NPR 50 lakhs (five million rupees), VAT registration becomes mandatory and you will need to issue VAT bills.

Buyers are increasingly asking for proper bills — especially for larger purchases. When you set up your store on Saauzi, you can enter your PAN or VAT number directly in store settings and it will appear on every invoice automatically, keeping you compliant without extra work.

4. Plan Your Delivery Logistics Before It Gets Chaotic

Festival season stretches every courier in Nepal. Pathao, Bhimsen Courier, City Express, and local aggregators all get overwhelmed. The sellers who handle this season well are the ones who arranged their logistics in advance.

Choose delivery partners early

• Kathmandu Valley same-day or next-day: Pathao, InDrive Courier, or local bike couriers work well for intra-valley orders.
• Outside Kathmandu: Bhimsen, City Express, or similar intercity couriers. Confirm their festival schedules — some reduce service or stop accepting new parcels during Tihar.
• Heavy items: Arrange a dedicated tempo service in advance and communicate realistic rates and timelines to your buyers.

Set honest delivery timelines

During festival rush, what is normally three to five business days can stretch to seven or more. Be upfront on your product pages. Customers who know what to expect are far less likely to complain or cancel orders.

Offer simple gift packaging

Many festival purchases are gifts. Even a kraft paper wrap and a ribbon offered as a checkout option reduces returns from damaged goods and significantly improves customer satisfaction. It does not have to be fancy.

Order your stock early

If you source from wholesale markets in Asan or Indra Chowk, order your festival stock at least a month out. Wholesale suppliers also get overwhelmed — orders placed mid-Dashain may not arrive until after Tihar.

5. Run Simple Promotions That Actually Work

You do not need a marketing budget to run effective festival promotions. These formats consistently work for Nepali SMBs:

• Bundle deals: "Buy any 2 kurta suruwal sets, get 10% off" — encourages higher order value without deep discounting on individual items.
• Gift hampers: Pre-pack three to five related items as a "Dashain Gift Set" at a slightly discounted combined price. Hampers practically sell themselves during gifting season.
• Free delivery above a threshold: "Free delivery on orders above NPR 1,000" removes a friction point that stops browsers from becoming buyers.
• WhatsApp broadcast to existing customers: If you have a contact list from your physical shop, send your store link and a festival discount code. It costs nothing and converts well among people who already trust you.

Avoid complex discount rules. "30% off on minimum cart of NPR 3,000 excluding items in category X" will confuse people. Simple promotions outperform clever ones every time.

6. Final Checks Before You Go Live

1. Test on mobile: Most Nepali shoppers browse on phones. Walk through the full purchase flow yourself on your handset and fix anything that feels clunky.
2. Make your WhatsApp number visible: Many buyers want to ask a quick question before ordering. Make it easy to reach you — especially for larger purchases.
3. Update stock quantities: Set accurate inventory counts so you do not oversell and have to issue refunds during peak season.
4. Set a WhatsApp Business auto-reply: Acknowledge incoming messages with a short note and a realistic response time promise for hours when you are unavailable.
5. Clarify your return and refund policy: State clearly what you accept returns for and within how many days. Ambiguity leads to disputes at the worst possible time.

Start Now, Not the Week Before Dashain

The sellers who do well during Nepal's festival season are almost always the ones who finished their setup in September — products listed, payments live, courier rates confirmed, and promotions ready to switch on. Pick the one item on this checklist you have not completed yet and do it today. The window before the festival rush is your best opportunity to reach buyers who are already planning their purchases. Do not let it slip.